Acetylene-gas generator



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

n.qRpBLANCHARD. AGETYLBNE GAS GENERATOR.

' No. 596.138. PatentedDeo. 28.,v 1897.

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D. R. BLANCHARD.

AETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

No..596,138. Patented Deo. 28, 1897.

INVENTOH Daniel R .,BZancaroL,

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AGBTYLBNE GAS GENERATOR. l No. 596,138.- k Patented Dec. 28, 1897.

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DANIEL R. BLANCHARD, OF LA GROSSE, WISCONSIN.

ACETYLENE-e'lnsI GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,138, dated December 28, 1897.

Application filed February l, 1897. Serial No. 621,501. (No model.)

` T all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, DANIEL R. BLANCHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and Statel of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Generators; and I do hereby. declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to improvements in acetylene-gas generators, and morel particularly to that class of automatic generators in which the calcium carbid may be replenished while the generator is in action.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, reliable, and effective generator of this class; and to this end the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference-characters indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of my improved generator and gas-holder. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the carbidchamber. Fig. 4 is a similar view taken at a right angle to the view shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the same.

l represents a cylindrical tank open at the top and having a horizontal annular baseflange 2 on which said tank rests and a depending conical bottom 3, the apex of which is provided with a faucet or valve 4 in communication with the interior of said tank.

5 represents an annular cylinder open at bottom and provided with a closed horizontal top 7. 'This gas-cylinder has a free vertical movement in the space formed between the tank and the cylinder 5, the said space being filled with water to within an inch or two of the top to form a seal gas-cylinder.

A vertical pipe 8 is provided with a funnelshaped top 9, and it extends downward alongfor the bottom of the side of the tank to near the bottom thereof, where it is connected to a short horizontal branch pipe IO, extending inwardly through the inner cylinder 5, where it is connected to a vertical pipe 11, terminating in a gooseneck 12.

13 I3 represent two parallel battens secured to the under side of the top 7 of the gas-cylinder 6, and from said battens depend four equidistant rods 14, the lower ends of which support a concave reticulated or foraminous sheet l5. i

16 17 represent tubular guide-stays connected at their upper ends by a cross-brace '18, the stay 1G being fixed at its lower end to the outside of the upper edge of the tank l, while the opposite guide-stay 17 is open at the top and a short distance below the crossbrace is provided with a plug-cock 19, having an inwardly-projecting lever-handle 20. This guide-stay 17 is connected to a blind T 21, ixed on the upper end of the outside of the tank, and it then extends downward to near the bottom of the tank, where it communicates-with a horizontal pipe 22, one end of which extends inwardly through the tank l and cylinder 5, and its inner end is connectedv to a vertical pipe 23, extending upward above the water-level in the cylinder 5. The opposite end of the horizontal pipe 22 connects with the gas-holder 24 in a manner to be hereinafter more fully explained.

25 represents the carbid or charging chamber, being open at the bottom and formed with an external integral iange 26, upon which rests a gasket 27, which comes in contact with the inside of the top 7, and on the outside is placed another gasket 28, and on this anannular clamping-ring 29, through which screw 30 extends into the flange 26 on theL charging-chamber to form an air or gas tight joint between the lower end of the chamber andthe top of the gas-cylinder.

3l 3l represent parallel guide-bars provided with grooves 32 32 on their contiguous faces and are secured on the opposite sides to the bottom flange of the charging-chamber.

33 represents a plane slide-valve sliding snugly in the grooves 32 32 to openand close the lower end of the charging-chamber. The outer end of the lower face of this valve is provided with a depending lug 34, in which is fixed the inner end of a cylindrical sliderod 35, passing through a stufiing-box 36 in the gas-cylinder and terminating in an operating-handle 37.

3S 3S represent two forwardly-inclined lugs formed integral with the lower face of the valve 33 and near the opposite edge thereof, and 39 39 represent two inwardly-projecting horizontal studs on the contiguous faces of the guide-bars 3l immediately below the diamctrical center of the charging-chamber. lVhen the valve is pushed forward to close the bottom of the charging-chamber, the inclined lugs 3S 3S on the valve ride upon the stationary studs and force the upper face of the valve into intimate contact with the lower face of the charging-chamber and form a gastight joint therewith.

40 represents an external annular flange on the upper end ol' the chamber, and its face is provided with a concentric groove 41, which receives a projecting packing-ring 4:2.

t3 represents the slightly convex removable cover, the face of the flange 44 of which forms a gas-tight joint with the packing-ring when the cover is forced down by the screw 45 in the removable bail 4G.

The upper end of the outside edge of the gas-cylinder is provided with brackets 4G 46, in which is journaled the grooved guide-rollers 47 17' to insure the vertical movement of the cylinder between the tubular guide-stays 16 17.

The horizontal pipe 22, leading `from the generator, is provided with a condensationtrap 4:7, preferably located near the generator, as shown, and from this trap the pipe continues on to a valve 48, thence into the gasholder 2-1, communicating with a vertical pipe 49, terminating above the water-level in the holder. A similar vertical outlet-pipe 50 extends downwardly in the opposite side ot' the holder and is connected to -a horizontal pipe 51, from which the gas is taken for consumption. A trap 52 is located in said servicepipe for conveniently removing the water of condensation before the gas is conducted to the burners. A faucet 53 is located in the bottom of the gas-holder for withdrawing the water from time to time.

The tubular guide-rods 54 extend upward from the outside tank and are connected at their upper ends by the cross-braces 55, and grooved guide-rollers 56, fixed to the upper end of the holder, slide freely up and down these guide-rods to preserve the vertical inotion of the holder. An arm 57 is fixed on the upper edge of said holder and it projects horizontally beyond the outer edge of the tank. A chain 58 is connected to said arm, and after allowing sufficient slack the lower end of said chain is connected to the valve-lever 59 of the valve 4S, which is normally held open by a weight GO on said lever, and when the holder rises to its limit it draws the chain taut and closes the valve, thereby cutting oft the flow of gas into the holder, and as the gas in the holder is consumed it gradually falls, slackens the chain, and the weight forces the lever down and opens the valve.

The operation of the generator is as follows: Tater is first placed in the generatingcylinder 5 and also in the space between said cylinder and the tank to about the level shown in Fig. 1. The valve in the bottom of the charging-chamber is then closed and thc cover removed and a charge of the calcium carbid placed in the charging-chamber and its cover replaced. The valve is then withdrawn by means of its handle and the carbid allowed to fall on the perforated shelf, which is now just below the water-level in the cylinder 5. The action of the water on the carbid liberates the acetylene gas, which lills the space in the gas-cylinder (i above the waterlevel. The gas then passes out through the outlet-pipe 23 to the gas-holder 24, where it is stored for use. If the gas should be generated faster than it is consumed or beyond the capacity of the gas-holder 2-1, the cylinder G continues to rise until the top y7 comes in contact with the lever-handle 2O of the valve 19, which is normally closed, lVhen the top 7 comes in contact with said lever, it raises it and opens the plug-cock 19 and allows the gas to escape from the horizontal pipe 22 up through the tubular stay 17 and out through its open end at the top. As soon as the consumption begins again and the gas-cylinder falls the weight 20 on the lever 2O closes the valve 19, and the gas resumes its normal course through the horizontal pipe 22. Of course it will be understood that when the gas-cylinder G rises it carries the perforated shelf 15, containing the carbid, with it, and when the carbid is raised above the water-level the generation of the gas practically ceases, and when the volume of gas above the water-level is reduced to allow the carbid to again come in contact with the water the process of generation is immediately resumed, thus securing an entirely automatic action, and by this construction it will be seen that when the generator is in action a fresh charge of carbid can be inserted by closing the slide-valve without interfering in any way with the gas-pressure.

Although I have specilieally described the construction I employ in carrying out my invention, I do not desire to be confined to the same, as various modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An acetylene-gas generator, comprising a carbid or charging chamber, provided with a removable cover and detachable bail, in combination with a pair of horizontal parallel guides, arranged at the bottom of said chamber and provided with laterally-projecting horizontal studs, a slide-valve mounted in said guides and adapted to form a seat on the IOO IIO

bottom of'said chamber, said valve being provided with inclined lugs adapted to engage said studs and means substantially as described for operating said'valve, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An acetylene-gas generator comprising a'stationar5T tank` l, having an annular horizontal base-flange 2, and anlinverted conical bottom 3, provided with a discharge-faucet 4, an annular cylinder 5, open at the top and fixed at its lower end to the inner edge of the base-flange 2, a gas-cylinder 6, a vertical pipe, 8, secured on the outside of the tank, having a funnel-shaped top 9, and extending downward and upward inside of the cylinder 5, where it terminates in a gooseneck l2, in combination with the perforated shelf` suspended from the inside of the top of the gas-cylinder 6, a bottomless charging-chamber 25, fixed in the top of the gas-cylinder G, and provided with a removable cover 43, and detachable bail 46; having a centrally-disposed clamping-screw 45, the parallel .guide-bars 3l 3l, secured to the lower end of said chamber 25, and provided with grooves 32 32, and lateral studs 39 39, the slide-valve 33, mounted so as to reciprocate in said guide-bars 3l 31, and provided With two forwardly-inclined lugs 38 33, adapted to engage said lateral studs and cause the upper face of the valve to form a seat with the bottom of said charging-chamber and means substantially as described for operating said valve fromthe outside of the cylinder 6, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL R. BLANCHARD. Witnesses:

D. O. FINNEY, A. B. LACEY. 

